Ro Gregg is a seasoned entrepreneur and award-winning designer, an honoree of the Marquis Who’s Who, and a recent recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. She earned recognition through her extensive contributions to the fabric and home furnishings industry. As the owner and president of Ro Gregg Inc., Designs from the Heart, Ms. Gregg has built a career grounded in artistic vision, business leadership, and a passion for high-quality design work. With more than 40 years of experience in her profession, she has earned a reputation for distinctive floral patterns and holiday-themed collections, alongside numerous industry accolades.
Turning a Passion for Design Into a Career in Leadership
Ms. Gregg credits her earliest artistic influence to her family’s creative background. “My brother was an artist, and several people in my family were painters,” she says. “I do have that in my genes.” After earning a liberal arts degree in English and Spanish from Long Island University, Ms. Gregg furthered her education with coursework in management.
Ms. Gregg’s education prepared her for a career in New York City, where she contributed to that hub of art and design as a merchandise manager for a textile company. Her management skills grew significantly in this role, where she often served as a liaison between the production and design teams, who benefited significantly from her technical foundation and talent for design. However, the more time she spent in this role, the more she felt pulled back to the artistic side of her passions.
One significant milestone in Ms. Gregg’s career was her promotion to vice president of creative design for Springmaid Wamsutta. This positioned her as the first female vice president in the company’s history. In her role, she managed design studios focused on home furnishings. She oversaw the creation of designs for fabrics, textiles and more.
Frequent overseas travel and cultural immersion greatly influenced Ms. Gregg’s work with Springmaid Wamsutta. “I traveled to Europe two or three times a year,” she says, “Which was like getting a PhD in design because, besides the history books of art, you were privy to the different cultures and what they dictated as far as design and color.” These experiences helped to shape Ms. Gregg’s distinctive floral designs, which would become a major hallmark of her career.
Designing From the Heart: Entrepreneurship and Community Enrichment
In 1997, Ms. Gregg founded her own business, Ro Gregg Inc., Designs from the Heart, a fabric and home furnishings company. Cooperating on a royalty-based model, Ms. Gregg’s company specializes in floral designs for textiles, giftware, rugs, and more. The brand gained quick recognition with an extensive catalog of more than 80,000 designs, including notable collections of holiday-themed patterns and vintage-inspired designs.
Ms. Gregg’s floral collections and holiday lines are widely regarded in the industry. She has received more than 50 nominations for “Excellence in Creative Print Design” through the American Printed Fabrics Council and 14 Tommy awards for specialized design from the American Printed Fabrics Council. In addition, Ms. Gregg is deeply connected to a wider artistic community as an active member of The Museum of Modern Art, the Monmouth Museum, and the American Printed Fabrics Council.
Ms. Gregg contributes to the creative quilting community through lectures and presentations that allow her to express her passion and inspire others. With future plans that include dedicating more time to traveling in search of inspiration and becoming more involved in charitable events and auctions, Ms. Gregg’s lifetime of achievement will continue to enrich the community around her.
About Marquis Who’s Who®:
Since 1899 A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field, including politics, business, law, education, art, religion, and entertainment. Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians, and executive search firms worldwide. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.
Published by Zane L.
